Muffins & Cupcakes
by Beatlebug
Summary: <html><head></head>A little bakery annex café. Two men, a woman and a stalker. One accidental meeting and chocolate muffins that will never taste the same. Non-magic story, M/M SB/RL</html>
1. Chapter 1

**NeonDomino, no need to say I love your stories. . But as I know you love the closet deviant Remus (or at least you are convinced that is what he is) and you seem to have a thing for them meeting in a coffeeshop, this one is for you! It was supposed to be a one-shot, but it didn't even make that.  
>Oh. And I even gave Sirius straight hair. Just for you. Better be grateful, it hurts!<strong>

**Remus p.o.v., because I thought I'd shine a bit more on that situation.**

**A cute little love story to balance the nasty stuff I've been writing lately. **

He casually leans against a counter, watching Lily whirlwind around him preparing the orders.  
>'You are insane, you know that.' She murmurs as she pours another cup of coffee and places it on a tray next to a big piece of apple pie with whipped cream and, for some reason, sprinkles. 'You have to be the only person in the world to show up 5 hours before your shift begins.'<br>'But it smells so good in here. And it's so quiet at home.' Remus moans as he reaches out for a chocolate chip muffing. Lily swats his hand away.  
>'And you can't wear that in here either, it's against the rules. Both café and fashion-wise!'<br>Remus plucks his cardigan with a pout.  
>'But I love my cardigan! It's my lucky one! And it's clean!'<br>'And woolly. Look, wool!' With her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth she carefully picks a tiny bit of wool from the apple-pie, a few sprinkles rolling on the floor in the process.

As soon as Lily picks up the tray and turns around Remus reaches out for a muffin but once again is stopped by Lily's excellent skills of knowing what goes on behind her back. Literally.  
>'Pay or have some at home! We both know your cupboards are stuffed with anything chocolate.' She throws him a last death glare over her shoulder, hoping it's enough to keep him from eating everything while she serves the customers.<br>_But they aren't nearly as good at home._ Remus protests in his mind and as soon as Lily slips from behind the counter, he grabs a muffin and buries his teeth in it, holding it there while scooting over to the cash register. With the muffing still stuffed half in his mouth he quickly makes himself a receipt, picks a pound from the tip jar (hey, that's his money, too) and tosses it in with the rest of the change.

There. He paid for it. Gods, if everything could taste so good! That richness, the chocolatebits, the moist cake.. Had he been at home he would've devoured the thing, moaning loudly in the process. But out and about the thought it was probably better to eat a muffin as it should. As long as eating a muffin had rules, that was. His hand reached up to free himself from the muffin, ready to enjoy his probably highlight of the day, but he never got to that as a cheery voice interrupted him. 

His hand reaches up to free himself from the muffing but he never gets to that as a cheery voice interrupted him.  
>'She gags people with muffins now? That's harsh.'<br>Remus looks up to find a young man standing in front of him. Muffin still stuck between his teeth he takes him in. About as tall as him, perhaps a bit taller. Skinny, black hair and glasses on his long, straight nose. Questionable fashion sense but Lily would probably approve he wasn't wearing a cardigan but a band shirt. She had a thing for band shirts, Remus happens to know.  
>'Never seen you here before, new? Are you her boyfriend?' He nods his head. As Remus follows his movement he sees Lily at the end of it, looking annoyed at the two of them. Is it the muffin?<br>Remus quickly shakes his head, muffin still in mouth and in the process catches a glimpse of a man standing two feet left from the bespectacled man.

Little did he know how much this moment would change his complete outlook on the world. Never before had he been this convinced he never saw that man before because how could anyone ever forget someone like that. Fuck. He was bloody perfect. His size. His age. Long, black hair tight back in a ponytail. Ridiculously tight jeans and, as if it wasn't enough, a leather jacket.

Once again Remus was fighting to keep a moan from escaping his throat. It wasn't hard to imagine pressing his face against the leather and smelling the warm, musk smell that came with these kind of jackets. Not to mention how the man himself would smell. Or how he could look wearing just that jacket..

'So.. If you are done making love to that muffin, mind if we order?' James jokes as he leans on the counter, grinning widely over his own joke.  
>Remus quickly pulls the muffin from his mouth, not prepared for the sliver of drool that escapes with it. He tries to catch it with his hand and succeeds but let's be honest.. that doesn't make it any less gross. But the man leaning on the counter, rather than leaving, bursts out laughing. Not even in a mean way but still enough to make Remus blush furiously.<br>'Aren't you charming.'  
>The other man stepped up to the counter as well, leaning on one leather clad elbow, pointing to the corner of Remus' mouth.<br>'You missed some. Right there.'

Remus quickly wipes it away. Sure, he is clumsy from time to time. But this is too embarrassing to be true. His stomach twists as he looks at the man and finds the greyest eyes he ever saw.  
>'Would you like to order?' He quickly averts his look. Playing shy is so much easier than explaining why he can't keep his eyes from probably perfect lips.<br>'Might come in handy. He-' he nods at the man who is now coming to terms with his laughter and whipping the tears from his eyes 'will have a cappuccino and a lemon square, as usual. I'll have a coffee, black. And ah. Hmm.' He leans a little closer towards Remus, locking their eyes. 'What would you advise?'

_Is he flirting with me__? __Great. That's just fucking great. Why can't I just find myself a nice girl? Wouldn't that make things so much easier?_

Quickly he averts his eyes again, cursing the blush on his cheeks.  
>'I think you'll like the cinnamon cupcakes. They have a hint of clove in them. Suits the weather.'<br>'I love cinnamon. One of those for me, then.' The handsome man smiles and slaps a twenty on the counter as Remus quickly takes the order and makes him a receipt.  
>'Lily will bring it in a second.'<br>'We know.' The man takes the change from Remus and puts most of it in the tip jar.

Unwillingly Remus' eyes follow the men. Well. One in particular. He even walks perfectly. God. He even takes of his leather jacket perfectly. He slings it over the back of his chair just as perfectly.  
>Sure. He never had been in love with a guy before. But for the past few years he grew more and more concerned that perhaps girls weren't what he was going for. Not that he told anyone. Not even Lily. Playing the shy and innocent part was good enough an excuse to not be too interested in dating. But this. That man. He was just..<p>

'James.' The voice startles him and he almost drops his muffin. 'I hope you paid for that.'  
>Lily, to whom the voice belonged, motioned at the muffin. 'And better not from the tip jar this time!'<br>'Sure.' Remus said. 'What's a James?'  
>'The guy you've been staring at the past minute?' She raised her eyebrow. ´You know. James. My stalker who is not creepy enough to hope he lands under a bus but annoying enough to hope he forgets this place exists?'<br>'Right!' Remus says, a bit too loud and half the customers stare his way. 'Right.' He repeats, softer this time. 'I thought he looked familiar. He's better looking than you described, Lils.'  
>'Yeah. Well. Don't want to give him too much credit.'<p>

As she starts filling up another tray with cakes and coffee, Remus finally takes that bite from his muffin but all of a sudden it seems so boring. It's just a chocolate cupcake.  
>His gaze re-directs to definitely not James but the guy beside him and he clears his throat.<br>'So. They come in every morning?' He asks, trying to sound as casual as possible.  
>'Every single morning. Always the two of them.'<br>'Are they a couple?'  
>Lily raises another eyebrow.<br>'Yes. They are definitely a couple. That's probably why James keeps asking me out at every occasion. What is wrong with you this morning?'  
>'Right.' Remus says as he feels the parts of his ridiculous and probably apart from this point non-existent plan fall into place. 'What I wanted to ask you, really.. Want to change shifts with me tomorrow? Dentist appointment in the afternoon.'<br>'You mean you give up your precious morning to go to the dentist and I get a morning off from mister Stalking Glasses? Yes please.'

'Perfect. I'll take my leave then. Oh, here's the receipt. They ordered..'  
>'A cappuccino with lemon square for James and a coffee, black, with a cinnamon-clove cupcake for Sirius. I know. They always order the same thing.'<br>Sirius.. The name races over and over in Remus' head and he decides it suits the man perfectly. Sirius..

As Lily walks over to serve them, Remus puts on his counter and takes another bite from the muffin. Then it suddenly dawns to him. He snaps his head around, finding Sirius to look at him, winking while he takes a bite from his cupcake. His usual order.  
>It was a good thing Remus didn't believe in faith and he told himself that every single step of the way home. <p>

As soon as he got home he ran towards the phone, picked up his phonebook and dialed the number.  
>'Yes, hello. I would like to make an appointment for tomorrow afternoon..'<p>

Always cover your tracks..


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two. Remus is getting a little obsessive with a stranger. And that after just one day. Ridiculous, right? Hell naw. Who wouldn't..**

He did it. He actually was stupid enough to do it. Despite his perfect denture, Remus Lupin had made a dentist appointment over a toothache that didn't exist. Just so he could take Lily's morning shift. Surely that was considered unhealthy mental behaviour.

To point out how mental this was, some details. Remus wasn't a morning person. At all. He needed a soft, gentle approach of waking him up. Preferably none at all. A reason why he always took the afternoon shift. He could sleep in as long as he preferred and still be on time.  
>The morning shift, the ones that Lily had, started at six. Six! She'd have to sign for the orders of the day, make sure everything was clean and fresh. It was a small bakery, sure. And it was easy to run the orders on your own. But how she always had the spirit to keep everything clean without calling Remus out of his bed. That was to be called a miracle.<p>

Lily owned it. It used to be her grandmothers and for years Lily had been working towards taking it over once her grandma would retire. That moment had come and she had offered Remus, in between jobs at that moment, a job as well. Now they ran it together and Remus made enough to rent a small apartment a few blocks away. Lily lived just around the corner and didn't mind getting up early at all.

So now here he was. Ticking away the nervous minutes before he knew the man would show up. It wouldn't be obvious, would it? It wasn't as if he was madly in love with the man. He just liked the way he looked. To look at him. Something like that. Gods. As long as he could just keep his cool..

It was twenty past eight when the door opened, the little bell rang and two men entered. The first was James, looking around for Lily and clearly disappointed to find not her but Remus behind the corner, this time clearly working a shift. He sulked a little as he walked over to a table and sat down. Remus couldn't help but find it endearing. Having someone want you that bad couldn't be that horrible, could it? He wasn't bad looking. He had even seemed kind and funny the other day..

But then his world stood still as someone slipped in front of James, blocking his sight. It was him. Sirius Black. The ponytail, the yes still so god damned perfect grey and.. a black denim jacket. Well. That was a slight downer.

He could linger, of course. But a part of him preferred Sirius to be on a safe distance from him where he could mindlessly dream about him. Not this close where every little observation would be noted.  
>James hadn't had a chance to open his mouth and ask about Lily as Remus rattled the order.<br>'Cappuccino, lemon square, black coffee, cinnamon cupcake.'  
>'I'll have a chocolate muffin, actually.' Sirius corrected him and James gave him a look Remus chose to ignore.<br>'Not your usual cinnamon cupcake?' Remus asked with a, what he hoped to be, uninterested voice.  
>The man, Sirius, shot him a winning grin.<br>'She told you, huh.'  
>'<em>You<em> could've told me.'  
>'I could've. But where's the fun in that. No. I'll have a chocolate one today. If it's worth making love to, as James so eloquently put it the other day, I have to try.'<p>

Remus nodded as he took the money from Sirius' hand, making sure not to touch it. He wasn't sure he was ready for whatever feelings skin on skin would bring forth. Even if it was just a finger touching a finger. He started preparing the order. Sirius didn't move. Remus gave him a questioning look and Sirius shrugged.

'I'll save you the walk.'  
>Remus could protest. Make him sit down so he'd be at a safe distance. But somehow he only nodded and continued. One cappuccino, one black coffee, a lemon square and a chocolate muffin. There.<br>He shove the tray towards Sirius who took it, thanked him and walked back to where James was still sulking a bit. His eyes traveling down the bakery every now and then as if he hoped Lily would pop up.

Sirius bowed over the table to put the tray down but lingered just a bit too long. Was he doing that on purpose? Was he trying to convince Remus there was nothing better than a handsome guy with a nice arse? Why was he doing that? It wasn't written on his forehead that he was gay, right? After all, he wasn't even sure himself. He took another look. Make that a great arse. Gods.

He couldn't stop staring at it until James' head popped over Sirius' shoulder and stared him straight in the eye. Remus quickly averted his eyes and when he dared look back he caught James making suggestive eyebrows wiggles towards Sirius who was just about to turn his head. Remus turned around, pretending to be very busy with the cappuccino machine while trying to maintain a healthy heartbeat, only to be interrupted by one of their regulars, Mrs. Figgs, who came to pick up her usual order of one bread, white, two lemon squares and a bag of chocolate chip cookies.

Remus picked the order from under the counter, it was always at the ready on Thursday, and handed it over to the old lady, smiling kindly. After that came Mr. Diggle (two whole-wheat brown), his friend Shacklebolt (hey, Remus! What a shock to see you up so early. I'll have my regular, that one) and one of the Dumbledores, coming to pick up the stale bread to feed his goats.  
>Remus wondered how much time had passed before he saw James and Sirius get up from their chairs, nodding to each other as James made for the door and Sirius clearly didn't.<p>

Remus quickly turned around to make another cappuccino he probably had to drink himself, too. What was it that made him make cappuccino's, simply not to need to look at Sirius while he clearly wanted to?

'You are not wearing a cardigan today.'  
>The voice startled him and he almost dropped a cup. How did he get to the counter so fast?<br>'I'm not allowed.' He mumbled, half over his shoulders, still trying his hard to pretend not to be interested and very busy with his orders.  
>'But you wore one yesterday.' Sirius pressed and Remus turned around, carefully putting the cappuccino he made for absolutely no one on a tray.<br>'I wasn't working yesterday. Just visiting.'  
>'I see. Too bad. I like the cardigan better.'<br>'I liked the leather jacket better.' Remus answered and then furiously blushed, realising what he just said. Why was he being so cocky?  
>'Well. I better make sure to wear it tomorrow.' Sirius plucked his black denim jacket. 'Will you be here tomorrow?'<br>'I don't think so. I usually get the afternoon shifts.'  
>'Too bad. For now, I'll take a chocolate muffin.'<br>'Another one?'

Sirius shrugged, tapping his stomach as if to say he could take it. Remus quickly took one from the display and gave it to Sirius.  
>He handed over the money, then handed the muffin back.<br>'There. No complaining from the misses about stealing money from the tip jar.' Sirius smiled and he gave it a little wiggle when Remus didn't immediately take it.  
>So Remus took it, a little surprised and hoping the man wouldn't notice his shaking hands. Or his burning red cheeks as their fingers accidently touched. It was what he feared for. Heat.<p>

'Thank you.' He muttered.'No problem. You can make it up to me.'  
>'How?'<br>'Let me take you out for dinner.'

Did this man just ask him out on a date?

'I'm sorry. I'm not.. I don't date men. ' Remus answered, hoping that was indeed what the man meant._ Well done, Lupin. _  
>'Well. That's a shame.' The handsome man smiled. 'Perhaps we can part as acquaintances then and forget the awkward attempt on seducing you?'<br>The handsome, way too handsome stranger gave him another cocky smile but Remus was sure there was a hint of disappointment in his grey eyes.  
>'Of course.' He tried to smile back but failed miserably as he pictured Sirius once again, naked and wearing just the leather jacket. Could someone think thoughts like that while not dating men? Because this particular specimen was really messing with his mind.<p>

The rest of his shift was torture. Pure torture. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get that subtle look of disappointment from his head.

He hardly bid Lily goodbye and he spurred home, put on the first cardigan he could find and jumped on his bed. Without even taking his shoes of, he flopped down on the blanket.

He wasn't lying. He didn't date men. Perhaps it was just a minor detail he didn't date women either.  
>Plus, he didn't have to go out with the first man that asked him, right? Even if that man was gorgeous. Damn it! Why would someone that gorgeous want to ask him out? This was just ridiculous!<br>He should just go to sleep. Tomorrow he would have his regular afternoon shift. After that it was weekend. He never worked Saturdays and the bakery was closed on Sundays. It was simple, really. He should just go to sleep and hope he'd wake up a few weeks from now. Surely Sirius would've forgotten about him by then and Remus could continue his life in the perfectly comfortable closet he was so used to.

Close to actually falling asleep, despite the time, Remus almost fell of the bed as the ringing phone startled him.  
>'Hello?'<br>'Remus, hi! It's me.'  
>'Who?'<br>'Lily? Are you alright? You just ran off like that!'  
>'Yeah. Right. Lily. Hi.'<br>'How was the dentist?'  
>'Alright. Nothing wrong.'<br>'Great.. Listen. I need you to do me a favour..' 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three! Halfway there, I think..  
>To those commenting (not only on this story) that my grammar can be a bit shaky and that words are out of place every now and then, I'd like to point out English is not my first language. Apart from that, I'm too impatient to wait for a beta to go over my stories so you'll have to live with my little mistakes. Sorry and thanks!<strong>

It's quite hard to decide to quit ridiculous behaviour if people won't let you.  
>Six o'clock. Remus signed for delivery, cursing Lily under his breath. She had forgotten about her mother, whom she was supposed to give a ride to the hospital. And so he found himself taking the morning shift twice in a row.<p>

Seven o'clock. Deliveries stocked. Oven pre-heating. With a pounding heart Remus started cleaning the tables and sweeping the floor. Had minutes always been this long? Morning shifts were so boring. So, so boring.

Eight o'clock. About to open up. Buns in the oven. First customer waiting in front of the door for him to unlock. Exactly thirty minutes from now, Sirius would enter. And James, of course. But damn it, Sirius. Remus could only hope he would not be wearing the leather jacket. If he was.. Well. He didn't know what he'd do if he was. Swoon, probably.

Half past eight. He turned around, facing the cappuccino machine with his eyes closed, pretending to be doing.. something. Anything, really. As if that would make the moment go away. It didn't, of course. At half past eight exactly the door opened. Heavy footsteps, probably wearing those leather biker boots, walked towards the counter. Another pair of footsteps walked, or rather sulked, towards their usual table. Remus wondered how long he could pretend to be doing something before Sirius would interrupt. Not very long, apparently.

'And there you are again.'

Remus turned around, his gaze caught by the leather jacket. He was wearing it, despite the fact that Remus clearly had told him he wouldn't be here. Ugh. Good morning, Lupin. He probably wore that jacket before he knew you existed, too.  
>'And here I am again.' Remus answered. 'Lily had to be somewhere else.'<br>'Like somewhere where there is no James?'  
>'Like somewhere where there is a hospital she had to take her mother to.'<br>'Ah. Good. Well no, not good obviously. But James will be glad to hear she's not avoiding him.'

'Quite the perseverant one, isn't he.'  
>'You have no idea.' Sirius leaned forward, a little too close to Remus' liking. Or at least that's what he told himself. 'Is there any chance at all you could tell Lily to give him a chance? Just the one?'<br>'What? So she can be found weeks later behind some dumpster? I know nothing about the guy.'  
>Sirius gave him a wicked smile that made Remus almost drop the cappuccino he started making.<br>'My, my! Accusations much! Cut the boy some slack. He's a bit obsessive, yes. But he's got brains. If he wanted to kill her, I'm sure he wouldn't have been coming to this place for years at an end to make sure everyone knows who he is and how much he loves her. Besides, I doubt I'd be hanging around with him if I thought he'd want to kill her.'  
>Sirius threw a questioning look over his shoulder to his sulking friend.<br>'Nah. He's alright.'  
>'Right. Usual order?' Remus replied a little hasty. Unfortunately, that didn´t seem to go unnoticed by Sirius. Nevertheless the man smiled. As if that would make the world a better place again. Unfortunately it did seem to do just that.<p>

´No, actually. I´ll have that chocolate muffin again.´  
>´Really? You'll change your rythm just like that?'<br>'Sure. Why not. I got stuck in a straight line, I guess. Thinking I liked the spicy, exotic flavour. But apparently something as seemingly ordinary as chocolate is able to tickle my fancy even more.'  
>'Alright..' Remus said as he started to make a receipt for this man. Why did he have the weird feeling he just got compared to a chocolate muffin? Then a smell crept up his nose. One he didn't like at all.<p>

'Oh shit, the buns are burning! I've got buns in the oven.'  
>Sirius gave him a questioning look, cocking his head and staring at Remus' stomach.<br>'Really? Never would've guessed it.'  
>Remus gave him the face. This is why he shouldn't do the morning shift. Behind Sirius a small line of people was starting to form, ready to pick up their daily order. What was he supposed to do? Just run off and save the day, leaving Sirius standing there? What if he had a place to be? What if those waiting in line had a place to be? What was he supposed to do!<p>

Then something happened he never expected. Sirius walked around the counter, took his leather jacket (and revealing a way to perfect toned body in a tight black t-shirt at that) off, pulled an apron from underneath that same counter and wrapped it around his perfect hips.  
>'Go get them.'<br>Remus stood there frozen, slight twirls of smoke now erupting from the kitchen.

'Go on.' Sirius pressed him. 'I can handle this. And I'm rich beyond believe so I won't go stealing your money. Promise.'  
>Remus still hesitated but nevertheless instructed Sirius on how to open the drawer and then disappeared in the kitchen. He opened the oven, pulling out the charcoal looking petit-pains and opening a window with his other hand. Waving frantically with a towel to make the smoke disappear he heard the familiar sound of cappuccino's being made.<p>

Then he sank down to the floor, legs crossed and hands buried in his hair. Handsome, rich. Funny and probably smart, too. He allowed his mind to take a little stroll to a world where he would run the morning shifts with Sirius. Just a very, very short one because surely he wasn't gay. Come one. That would be ridiculous. He tried to emphasise the impossibility of this fantasy by adding that surely Sirius would never date a guy like him. A moot point, seeing Sirius had asked him out the very first day they met. Fuck, fuck. Fuck.

'You got some more white bread in the back, per change? Mrs. Figgs needs two, today.'  
>Remus turned his head and stared up at Sirius, peeking around the door into the kitchen. He stared a little too long, as Sirius repeated his question.<br>'White bread? In the back? Mrs. Figgs?'  
>'Yes. Sorry. I'll get it.'<br>Remus jumped up and hastily made his way to the back. This was not good. Not good. Two days ago Remus never seriously considered dating men. He just thought he was supposed to end up alone. Or that perhaps he wasn't able to fall in love. Then this man came around and now. No. He just had to forget about it.

He grabbed a white bread, bagged and all, from the rack and walked back. He hadn't noticed Sirius had followed him and when he turned around the man was a lot closer than Remus wanted him to be once again.  
>They were standing close. So close. It would be so easy to just lean in and kiss him.<br>Was this what Sirius had felt when he decided to ask Remus out? As if there was heat soaring between the two of them.  
>Remus lifted his hand, pulling up the loaf of bread between them. Sirius reached to take it but instead of the bread his hand wrapped around Remus´ and didn´t let go.<p>

´Would you do me a favour?' Sirius said and Remus had to refrain himself from shouting _Anything._ Instead he nodded.  
>'Just tell me. What exactly is feisty red-head's problem with Jamesieboy over there? Why does she hate him so much?'<br>The hand was still around his. It worked as a truth charm. Frankly, Remus was glad that was his question. He'd answer anything right now as long as it wouldn't involve dating men and such.  
>'She doesn't hate him. I guess she just doesn't like how he's coming on to her <em>all<em> the time.'  
>'Are you saying he should back off?'<br>'That. Or just be a bit more subtle with his compliments.'  
>'I'll give him the message.'<br>'Excellent. Can I go back to work now?'  
>'Sure thing.'<p>

Sirius let go of the hand but Remus could still feel its imprint burning on his skin. He followed Sirius back to the front where he watched the man finish his order with Mrs. Figgs. Then he untied the apron and lifted a tray with his own order.  
>'Made a receipt.' He said, nodding to where there was indeed a little piece of paper. 'Money is in the register.'<br>'Great.' Remus mumbled, refusing to give him another look. From the corner of his eye he could see Sirius hesitate for a while but then he left, walking towards James to have their morning coffee before work. Remus knew his response had been rude but he hardly knew the man, right? It was hardly his fault if the man was offended by his lack of affection. Of showing affection..

About fifteen minutes later James and Sirius left. Remus couldn't deny it stung a little that Sirius didn't look at him before closing the door after him.

The rest of the morning was torture. He dropped a cupcake on the floor, broke a cup and accidently put salt instead of sugar in the fresh whipped cream. Still no idea how that happened. The salt wasn't even _close_ to the sugar.

…

Lily arrived on time, finding a frustrated Remus with messy hair sweeping up the second broken cup of the day. She followed him to the back where he threw the shards in the bin, right on top of

'How did that happen! I'm never letting you do morning-shifts again, mister.' She joked. Remus tried to smile but it seemed like he wasn't able to.  
>'Excellent. Because I never ever want to do a morning shift again. Ever.' Was his lip starting to tremble? Seriously? What kind of bullshit was that!<br>'Remus, are you alright?'  
>'Perfect! Fucking fantastic. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a free afternoon waiting for me.'<br>He untied his apron, threw it in Lily's hand and walked out the back. He practically ran home. Lily could call him later and worry all she wanted. He just didn't feel like explaining right now.

Yesterday, the weekend and never doing morning shifts again was a beautiful idea. Now it left him horribly confused and broken hearted over a future that he never wanted to happen in the first place. He practically flew up the stairs to his apartment, slammed the door shut, locked it and put the phone of the hook.

He stared at the mirror and took a few deep breaths. It was time he had a very serious conversation with himself.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for my lack of updates! Re-doing the bathroom, working.. Aargh! But here's an update! Getting very, very close to the end.

He didn't get very far with that serious conversation. The longer he stared at himself in that mirror, the less he started to like himself. What was that guy thinking when he asked Remus out? Sirius, Remus knew. Lily had told him in some complaining rant once but he never paid much attention to it because it was always James, James, James.. But now it was Sirius, Sirius, Sirius.

Then it dawned to him that Sirius probably didn't even know _his _name. Wasn't that kind of a must before asking someone out? What was he planning, taking him out to dinner and then, by candlelight ask with that smooth voice;_ Tell me something about yourself. Your name, par example.'_ Because obviously someone as sophisticated as Sirius Black would speak French.  
>What was wrong with that guy? Surely he could get whomever he wanted. Why would he ask a scrawny, skinny boy out for dinner. That man was fucking gorgeous. They were no match..<p>

After a while it seemed he'd been staring at himself not just for quite some time but for quite some hours. When his doorbell rang and he was forced out of his misery, he opened the door to a frantic Lily that practically pushed him aside and barged in. It was a little past five. That was how long he had been staring in the mirror. _If I don't know me by nohow_ a little teasing voice sang in Remus' head but he shook it off as Lily started yelling it him. Well, not really yelling. But still quite fierce.

'Remus JOHN Lupin.' Yikes, middlename. 'You got me worried sick! I had a mind of closing down the shop just to come see you. What happened, you never run off like that!'  
>'I'm sorry. Wasn't feeling very well.'<br>Lily gave him a serious look.  
>'I promise! Morning things are just.. I shouldn't do them. Ever again.' He really shouldn't. Just go on and forget about it. Nevertheless he felt awful for lying to his friends. His <em>only<em> friend, at that. Not many tried to see through the awfully quiet bookish boy. But Lily had. And now he was repaying that kindness by lying to her. He was a despicable human being. Then a warm, small hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed it shortly before letting go again.

'It's okay, you know. You don't have to lie to me.' This time her voice was so much softer. 'Just tell me when you're ready.'  
>His heart skipped a beat.<br>´Wha-what?' How could she possibly know? He wasn't even sure he understood what was going on himself.  
>'Whatever it is that is bothering you. You can tell me nothing is wrong, but I know you. I may not know exactly what's going on but it sure as hell has got you going all crazy. Whatever it is, you can tell me. Whenever you feel like it. Just don't lie to me.'<br>Remus stared at the green eyes. As fierce as they were as she stormed in, as kind and understanding where they know. Then he nodded.  
>'You are right. Something happened, but I'm not sure how to talk about it yet. I wouldn't know where to start. In fact, I don't even know whether it is something I want to be a part of me.'<br>Lily smiled.  
>'I hope you figure out soon. I'd like to have my old friend back.'<br>Remus smiled back painfully. A part of him tried to scream that was never going to happen. No matter how he would come out of this, he would never be _exactly_ the same. Instead he just nodded and pulled Lily in for a quick hug.  
>'Thanks, Lilykins.'<br>'Don't call me that!' She protested but gave into the hug nevertheless. Then she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and left with a last _don't fret too much!_

He hoped the little conversation with Lily would've given his mind a rest. Boy was he wrong. The rest of weekend was horrible. He couldn't eat. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't even think straight. Ha-ha-ha. He wasn't even able to read his books! It was horrific. Every single thing he tried to do somehow led him to Sirius. A dog with black curly hair on tv. Sirius. Someone pointing out how hot cardigans were going to be this fall. Sirius. A black, leather couch. Sirius. Everything, everything, everything reminded him of Sirius. He didn't even sneak down to the café on Saturday to get a chocolate muffin because of Sirius. Not because he was afraid to see him. No. That might have been the point at first. But the more he thought about it, the more he feared he had perfected the image of Sirius in his head. What is he would go down there and it turned out Sirius wasn't nearly as gorgeous as he remembered him? That would be such a disappointment. Or not. Because that would mean he was a bit more accessible.

'No!' Remus mumbled out loud. Why would Sirius need to be more accessible? He didn't want to date men. Did he? Did he.. What if he did?

It was on Monday morning, after his third sleepless night that he returned to the mirror to face the face he started to loath so much over the weekend. He tried to ignore the bags under his eyes and stared at the skinny young man, clad in a warm, brown cardigan that was staring back at him.

'I think I'm gay.'

He said it. He actually said it. Not that he could believe it himself yet. Nor that a man was able to make him think something he never thought of before within three days. But it happened.  
>'I think I'm gay. And I think that if I'm gay, I'm in love with Sirius What's-his-name. Fuck. I don't even know his last name.' He fell back down on the bed and covered his eyes with one hand as he had done a few day's ago.<br>'I'm in love with a guy whose last name I don't know whom I turned down. How on earth am I going to fix that. How on earth am I going to be gay!'

Then he took a deep, deep breath and pushed himself up straight, facing himself with a stern look this time. No. Remus Lupin did not just give up like that. Well. The old Remus Lupin would. But he wasn't the old Remus Lupin, was he? He was a new version of an older model with new needs. New wishes. A Remus Lupin 2.0 so to speak. And Remus Lupin 2.0 wanted something Remus Lupin 1.0 never even thought possible.

'I'm gay, and whatever you say.' He pointed his finger towards the mirror as if it had actually accused him of something. 'I've got to at least see him _once_ more. Just to be sure.'

With that he jumped of his bed, quickly yanking his coat from the rack on his way and slamming the door behind him without locking it. Who'd care if his stuff got stolen. There was no time to think about that. He had to get to the café as fast as possible. Right now. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright! That's the last chapter from Remus' point of view. Sorry! But.. I've got a proposal for you guys. Quite a lot of people chose favorite or follow for this story. First of all, thank you **_**so**_** much. I can't even start to describe how flattering that is. Second but! There are two options for this story. Well no. Three, actually. Option one: This is the last chapter. Option two: There will be one chapter from Sirius' point of view, summing up what happened to him in these past few days. Option three: Every day Remus lived will have an opposing one from Sirius' point of view. Your choice!  
>Make me happy with reviews and most votes will win. As long as there are plenty ;)<strong>

There we go!

The road from his apartment to the café never seemed this long before. Had someone replaced it this weekend without him knowing? Was it even still there? What if, at exactly this moment in time, it turned out aliens _did_ exist and they beamed up the café to unravel the secrets of the chocolate muffins? He'd never live that down. Fucking hell. What if they beamed up the café with Sirius in it? He'd never get a chance to express his impossible, uncomfortable and probably insane love if that gorgeous man was tumbling around somewhere in space, aliens plucking his leather jacket and gorgeous black hair with their creepily long fingers.

Plenty more ridiculous ideas crossed Remus' mind as he ran faster than he ever did before. He didn't even know he could run, really. He was usually one big heap of calm and peace. Now that heap was running as if his life depended on it. Which, turned out, it didn't as he rounded the corner, almost running into someone with a _Sorry_ from his side and a grinning _No worries_ from the other side, accompanied by a pleasant smell Remus' subconscious picked up. The café was still there. It was there, it was open and through the window he could see Lily handing the usual loaf of bread to Mrs. Figgs. A part of him reprimanded him for not thinking that Lily would've been abducted too in the alien scenario and how awful that would have been. But he'd think about that later. Right now he had to do something terrifying and life-changing.

Remus slammed the door open and ran inside, out of breath and not paying attention to the confused looks costumers were giving him. He only cared about one person's response. And it turned out the person wasn't there. His entire world stood still. He wasn't there. Sirius wasn't there. He hadn't stopped coming here, had he? Not just because of him? Oh God. What if it turned out Sirius was allergic to chocolate and Remus had poisoned him with the chocolate cupcakes?  
>'Uh, Remus. You alright?'<br>Lily had excused herself and slipped from behind the counter to face Remus, out of breath and more confused than she had even seen him.

'Where are they!' He almost shouted and Lily frowned.  
>'Where are who? Remus, what's wrong?'<br>'Sirius. James. Where are they? Are they dead?'  
>'They weren't three minutes ago when they left?'<br>'Great, thanks!' Remus hastily patted her on the head and left the café again. This time he ran a little slower whilst trying to fix his hair a bit. Was he seriously going through with this? He was. He didn't even hear Lily shouting his name before returning to the café, wondering whether she should close it for the day and go after Remus. For some reason, she didn't.

Remus rounded the corner. There were plenty of people. But none of them looked familiar. Well, no. That wasn't true. It was a small town. Most of them looked familiar, even if it was from sharing the same bus every Saturday to the library. But none of them were Sirius. Then a few people parted and two heads came in view. Black hair. One unruly, one in a ponytail. A black leather jacket. He could make it. He still could.  
>With a lot of <em>excuse me<em>'s, Remus made his way to the crowd until he was close enough to, if he stretched out his arm, grab the man whom he hoped would be Sirius by the shoulder to make him stop. And he did. He stretched out, grabbed the leather-clad shoulder and the earth stood still. The man stood still. The one with the ponytail. The other one walked a few more steps, talking, before he realized he wasn't accompanied by his friend anymore. He turned around and Remus recognized him as James. That meant the shoulder he was holding right now.. It could make of break this moment.  
>The shoulder moved. Remus held his breath. This was it. What if the man turned around and his eyes weren't grey? Or his nose was big of his cheeks flappy or his chin weak. It was slowmotion. It was like a movie. It was.. It was perfection.<br>When the head turned around to look at him, ponytail wagging magically, Remus saw all his fears had been unfounded. Sirius _was_ perfection. That was an understatement. He was _divine._ In fact, he was even better looking than Remus had remembered. The cheekbones a tad sharper. The grey eye stormier and fiercer. The hair.. Well that was exactly as he remembered. But the full lips, the strong jaw. They were perfect.

'I need to talk to you. Right now.' Remus blurted out. Shouted, more. It was a little more commanding than he had meant for it to be. But Sirius just raised an amused eyebrow an turned to James.  
>'Go ahead without me. I'll be in the office in a moment. Or not. You'll see.'<br>'Whatever you wish, sir.' James saluted and disappeared in the crowd who, Remus now realized, didn't stop moving at all but just walked past tem without any interest whatsoever in the skinny man that had just commanded a incredibly handsome stranger to stay and talk with him.

'So. What's up.' How could that man be so casual on a life changing moment like this!  
>'You are wearing a leather jacket.' Remus said and immediately wished he hadn't. What was that? That was nonsense! Why would you stop someone in the middle of the street to tell them what they were wearing! Surely Sirius knew damn well he was wearing his leather jacket.<br>'That I am.' Sirius said, raising the amused eyebrow again. 'And yet I am completely unaware whether you are wearing a cardigan.'  
>'I am.' Remus said, then shaking his head. 'But that's not what I wanted to talk about' He had to say something meaningful. Right now. Something funny. Something.. that would actually mean what he meant to say. But he couldn't. Nothing came out of his mouth. In fact, he felt as if he was going to faint.<p>

'Are you alright mate?' Sirius said, reaching out for Remus' blood drained cheek but the latter cringed at the upcoming touch. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Sirius. 'Alright..' Sirius retrieved his hand, clearly offended by the move. 'I'll see you, then.' And he turned around to follow James.  
>'You have a great ass!' Remus blurted it out before he fully realized what he said and clapped a hand before his mouth as Sirius turned around again to face him, this time with a quirked eyebrow that didn't express the amusement it had before.<br>'Excuse me?' He said.  
>All the blood that had been drained from his cheeks returned within seconds.<br>'I.. I meant.. What I wanted to say was.. I said..'  
>'That I had a great ass? At least that's what I heard.'<br>Remus blushed furiously and buried his face in his hands. Perhaps it was better that Sirius would just turn around and leave again. He'd give it a few more moments and if he'd look Sirius would be gone and he could go back to his normal life..

But that didn't happen. A hand carefully tapped his shoulder and Remus looked up from his hands to find Sirius still standing there.  
>'Let's try this again?' He offered. Remus nodded. 'Great. So. You said you needed to talk to me. I send James off. Now talk to me.'<br>Remus tried but he was now too confused and too panicked to say anything at all. The look on Sirius' face had now gone from confused to worried.  
>'Are you having a panic attack?'<br>Remus wasn't sure but that sounded about right and so he nodded.  
>'You don't have to. I'm not going to kill you or anything Remus.'<p>

And that pulled him right out of it.

'How do you know my name?'  
>'Ah. There you are. For a moment I thought you'd lost your tongue.'<br>'How do you know my name.' Remus repeated.  
>'I asked Lily.'<br>'When?'  
>'This morning. It went something like <em>Hey, isn't the gorgeous guy with the cardigan working today?<em> And she said _Remus? No. Why?_'  
>'Go-gorgeous?'<br>'Yeah. I might have said that.' Sirius nudged but then held up his hands in a protective manner. 'But I'm not coming up on you if you don't want me to. Despite what you may or may not have said about my ass.'

Remus made a face at the mentioning of his earlier outburst but then shook his head and then took a deep breath, realizing he'd never do it if he wouldn't now.  
>'That's what I wanted to talk to you about, though. Not your ass! But you coming on to me.'<br>The world was still revolving around them. No one seemed to noticed the incredibly awkward declaration of love that was about to find it's way into the world.

'I think I'm in love with you.'  
>Alright. Perhaps that was a bit too straight forward.<br>'In love with me?' Sirius asked. Remus cringed a bit but then realized Sirius didn't seem to be offended the slightest. In fact, the eyebrow now expressing surprise. 'What happened to you not being into men?'  
>'I'm not.' Remus admitted. 'At least I wasn't.' He waved a hand through his hair. 'Alright. I'm going to tell you everything. But please don't interrupt me because I'm not sure I'll ever have the courage to bring it up again. And before you know it one of us will be kidnapped by aliens and we'll never even get the chance if we <em>would<em> ever find the courage again.'  
>The eyebrow changed back to amusement but Sirius nodded.<br>'Alright. Tell me whatever you want to tell me.'  
>'I will. Okay. Here it comes.' Remus took a deep breath and deep down inside he felt he could actually do this.<p>

'I've never thought about being gay. I had a few girlfriends and that never really worked out. But I thought that was just me or them or the combination of me and them. Gay was never an option because the combination of me and another men seemed even less logical than me with any girl I could imagine. But then you sort of asked me out, I think. I hope, really, because I'd be making a damn fool of myself right now if you weren't asking me out. Either way. That's not the point. Ever since you may or may not have asked me out, I can't stop thinking about you. In _many_ ways. Is it even possible that an encounter with a stranger suddenly makes you gay? Makes you fall in love? I can't stop thinking about you. I don't want to stop thinking about you. Well. I wanted a few days ago. But now I no longer want to. You confuse me. But I want to be confused with you. I guess. Does this even make sense?' Remus realized he had been rambling about and with that question pressed his lips together as if he was afraid more nonsense would slip out. Sirius' eyebrow was no longer speaking. It was gone. Well no, it wasn't gone. It was still on his face but low, not quirked, just where it was supposed to be.

'Well. That was a lot of words. But I did ask you out, yes. And if I'm not mistaken, which I damn well hope I'm not.. Wait. You seriously never thought about being gay before I asked you out?'  
>Remus shook his head.<br>'Bloody hell. Wow. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you through all that shit over one weekend.'  
>'That's okay. I guess.' Remus shrugged. This was one weird conversation. And not at all how he planned it would go.<br>'So. If I tried to ask you out again. Would you say yes? Or would you prefer my great ass to ask you? Though I warn you, its tones aren't nearly as indulging as the ones that come out of my mouth.'

Not at all what Remus' expected this conversation would be like and as if all the stress from the past few just all of a sudden had to come out he burst out laughing. It was the longest giggle fit he had had in a long time and he was pleased to see that when he could finally look at Sirius again, the man was smiling. It was an even better sight than all the other faces Remus had witnessed the past few minutes.  
>'I'd say yes.' He admitted. 'Even though I'm scared to death about this.'<br>'That's alright.' Sirius smiled. It was a new smile, again. A sweet one. 'It might not seem that way, but I can be a very patient person.'

'My arse!'  
>A third voice, not Remus' and not Sirius' erupted from the crowd but they couldn't find the source. Bot, however, knew damn well who it was.<br>'Prongs! Get your arse out of here, this is a very pretty moment!'  
>'My arse it is. You are in the middle of the street!'<br>'GO AWAY!' Sirius bellowed, James laughed and Remus blushed the voice no longer answered and the laughter slowly faded.  
>'Alright. Let's try that again. My apologies for my retarded friend.'<br>'That's alright.'  
>'Good. Here we go. Remus. Would you like to have dinner with me sometime?'<br>'I.. Yes. I will.'  
>'Excellent.'<br>There was a short silence.  
>'I'll pick you up at eight tonight?'<br>'Tonight?'  
>'Yes. I'm not going to give you too much time to think about it. You might change your mind.'<br>'I might.' Remus said but grinned when Sirius seemed to panic.  
>'Mister Bashful my ass!' He barked as he pulled his wallet from his pocket and took a pound from it. 'Here. Have a chocolate muffin on me. Don't want that vixen to go all gagging you with muffins again.'<br>'She's not a vixen! And she didn't gag me.'  
>'I know.' Sirius winked. 'But I have to keep pretending I don't like her. It makes James go nuts.'<br>'You are a cruel man.' Remus said but he didn't mean it. In fact, he hadn't felt this comfortable with anyone in a long time.  
>'I am.' Sirius admitted a pretend guilty look on his face. 'But I'm still picking you up for dinner tonight. How shall I find you?'<br>'We'll see each other in front of the café?' Remus offered and Sirius placed a hand on his heart and made a romantic face.  
>'Where it all started! How perfect.'<br>Remus nudged Sirius' shoulder and the other man tapped his nose.

'The café it is.' He agreed. Then he seemed to hesitate for a moment to touch Remus again but withdrew. 'I'm dying to hug you. Or even kiss you. But I won't. I'm an honorable man, or at least I'll try to be. I'll take you out to dinner first. Tonight at eight, at the café. Promise you'll be there?'  
>'Promise.'<br>'Excellent.'  
>'Now if you'll excuse me. I have a red-haired vixen to explain my odd behavior from the past few days to.'<br>'You do that. If you'll excuse _me_, I have a certain knucklehead to torture.'  
>'I'll see you tonight then.' Remus said and he offered his hand.<br>'I'll see you tonight.' Sirius answered and took the hand.

It was perfection in the making.


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright. There we go! One more chapter for every chapter Remus had.. And.. I was quite smitten by the idea of doing a date chapter as well. So I might.. Either way. I very much suggest you read Remus' chapter before reading this one, but I won't force you!  
><strong>  
>'I can't believe you fell for that guy!' James complained.<br>'Oh come one! He was hot, hot, _hot._ Exotic, fierce. Did you even see his ass? That's what I want my men to be. Spicy.'  
>'Insane. You make them sound like those cinnamon cupcakes you devour every day. <em>You should try one, Sirius. The clove makes it so exotic. So hot.<em> Try something plane now and then. Vanilla. Chocolate. You might like it.'

'Chocolate!' Sirius huffed. 'You want to match a man like _me_ with something like chocolate? _You, _my man. _You_ are insane.'  
>'Of course I am. But so are you. Just try for once. Like. Well. Like him.' James pointed as he opened the door and a man with a muffin stuck between his teeth came in view. Exactly the kind of guy Sirius <em>should<em> be with. James was a lot more observant than people gave him credit for. He could tell straight away that guy could tie Sirius down. Preferably not literally in his company but still.  
><em>'Him?<em> You _are_ insane.'  
>But within, Sirius wasn't all that sure. He'd never go for a man like that. But seeing the man with that muffin stuffed in his mouth.. It wasn't even erotic. It was just.. Funny.<br>'Fine.' Sirius finally said.  
>'What?' James stared at him in disbelieve.<br>'I'll give him a try.'  
>'Excellent.' James said, still stunned Sirius gave in to his random blurting out. 'Let's go find out where Lils is, though. Food is worth nothing without her.'<p>

Sirius watched James walk up to the counter as he started talking to the young man. As the man averted his eyes from whatever he was doing to James, Sirius' heart skips a beat. It's never done that before and he frowns, blaming the golden eyes for it. He's never seen eyes like that before. He slowly walks up to the counter but steps in his track as the golden eyes move towards his.

_Fuck._ Sirius thinks to himself. _He's bloody perfect._

The man quickly pulls the muffin from his mouth as their eyes meet and a huge sliver of drool escapes from his mouth. He tries to catch it with his hand and succeeds but let's be honest.. It's still adorable. Since when is that the thing for him? Sirius uses the furious blush and moment of shame to walk up to the counter as the man cleans his hand and James is tumbling over, still laughing about something he apparently said earlier.

'Aren't you charming.' Sirius says, smiling at the golden-eyed man. 'You missed some, over there.' He moves his own thumb over the corner of his own mouth and the man follows his example. There's a furious shame in his eyes that somehow only makes him more enchanting. Did James _know_ this man would be here? Is this all just a ruse to get him lay off the one night stands for a while? Not going to happen. Right?

'Would you like to order?' He quickly averts his look. Is he playing shy or is he actually shy?

'Might come in handy. He-' Sirius nods at the man who is now coming to terms with his laughter and wiping the tears from his eyes 'will have a cappuccino and a lemon square, as usual. I'll have a coffee, black. And ah. Hmm.' He leans a little closer towards the cashier, locking their eyes. 'What would you advise?'

Quickly he averts his eyes again, cursing the blush on his cheeks.  
>'I think you'll like the cinnamon cupcakes. They have a hint of clove in them. Suits the weather.'<br>'I love cinnamon. One of those for me, then.' Sirius smiles and slaps a twenty on the counter as the man quickly takes the order and makes him a receipt.  
>'Lily will bring it in a second.'<br>'We know.' Sirius takes the change from him, unfortunately no touching of hands and puts most of it in the tip jar. Then he walks off, pulling James, who's finally coming to terms with himself, to their usual table.

As soon as they sit down, James leans his head on his hand and starts his daily dose of drooling over the red haired vixen that wants nothing to do with him. Sickening. Every now and then Sirius shots a glare over at the counter and he's sure their eyes meets every now and then, no matter how brief.  
>He watches how the man gives Lily a piece of paper, the receipt probably, then picks up his coat and leaves.<p>

Sirius follows his every step to the door. The man is nothing like his usual conquers. He's skinny. Shy. Walks as if he grew too much in a short period of time and he isn't completely used to his limbs yet. But those eyes..

He hardly pays attentions to the awkward situation as Lily brings over their order and James starts his usual, incredibly uncomfortable flirting. The man knew his way around here. Perhaps he worked here.. But he never saw him before.

What if he'd never see him again?  
>His teeth bore into the cinnamon cupcake.<br>He didn't like it anymore.


End file.
